The Riddler
The Riddler (A.K.A. Edward Nigma) is a character in Lego Batman: The Video Game. Character Background Even as a child, Edward was obsessed with riddles, puzzles, word games, and delights in victory. During his childhood, his teacher once announced a puzzle-solving contest to the class, with whoever could complete it the fastest the winner. Unbeknown to anyone, the young Edward had photographed the puzzle the night before and studied its formation so that he could easily solve it. The reward was a book of riddles, cementing the ''modus operandi ''that Edward would carry into adulthood. Unlike the rest of Batman's rogues gallery, the Riddler loathes needless bloodshed, feeling that he is above such barbaric acts. The crimes that he commits are generally robberies or kidnappings, at the scene of which he plants riddles for his pursuers to solve. These riddles are generally portrayed as too difficult for the police, and the only one to solve them on a regular basis is Batman. The Riddler is constantly pursuing of the day when he finally triumphs over Batman, but his far-from-stable mind forever prevents him from doing so. Unlike many other enemies of Batman, the Riddler feels that he needs to defeat Batman in a contest of wits to "truly" win. Thus, he is a fervent fan of larger-than-life deathtraps, which work much like life-sized puzzles with deadly consequences for the loser. Described constantly as a victim of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the Riddler is mentally incapable of committing a crime without leaving a clue, as he has discovered to his dismay several times. In Lego Batman: The Video Game Upon his escape from Arkham Asylum, the Riddler teams up with fellow inmates Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Two-Face to rob the Gotham Gold Reserves of their contents. Each villain is assigned a specific task, which he describes as "pieces of a glorious puzzle". First, he breaks into Gotham Bank with Clayface, stealing the key that unlocks the Gold Reserves' main vault. Batman and Robin show up all too soon, however, but although Clayface is captured, the Riddler gets away on Two-Face's Armored Van. As he is escaping, he leaves Batman a box containing several LEGO pieces. Next, he accompanies Mr. Freeze to the villain's old hideout - a decrepit ice cream factory. Here, they are able to acquire an extra-powerful freeze cannon on wheels - the second piece of the "puzzle". Once again, Batman and Robin show up, defeating Freeze, but Riddler manages to escape once more. As he escapes with Two-Face, he leaves Batman another box, but this time, the Dynamic Duo give chase, destroying Two-Face's van in the ensuing battle. Though it appears that Riddler is cornered, he is rescued by Poison Ivy. From atop a rooftop, he throws down a third box. The third piece of the puzzle lies at the Gotham Botanical Gardens, where Ivy had once worked. After helping Ivy regrow her "garden", Riddler is rewarded by her with the third piece of the puzzle - powerful mutant seed capable of growing tall vines within seconds. Ultimately, Batman and Robin show up, though this time, Riddler is nearly captured after Ivy is defeated - if it weren't for the fact that Robin needed immediate medical attention from breathing Ivy's poison pollen, this is. As he runs, he leaves a fourth box. With the gang whittled down to two, Riddler and Two-Face break into Wayne Enterprises to steal a laser cannon. This time, the Dynamic Duo are not there to stop them. With all the pieces collected, the duo target the Gold Reserves. First, they use the freeze cannon to create an icy path directly to the reserves, as it lies atop a hill on a peninsula. Then, the laser cannon is put to use in blasting apart the path so that no one can follow. Finally, the vine seeds are used to boost the two villains up the rest of the way. With some difficulty, the villains finally break into the main vault. Their joy is short-lived, however, as Batman and Robin soon arrive, having assembled the LEGO pieces in all four boxes to create a model of the gold reserves. Though the villains put up a good fight with the laser cannon, they are ultimately defeated. Riddler was last seen inside his cell at Arkham, furious at his defeat. Abilities and Equipment As he is a man of brains rather than brawn, Riddler is poor at hand-to-hand combat, armed with only his question-mark cane. This cane can be used as a melee weapon, in which case Nigma swings it much like a scythe. Nigma is also one of the few characters in the game that can perform an air attack, by spinning his cane rapidly while in the air and bringing it down on the opponent upon landing. If this technique is held for several seconds, Riddler will start spinning his cane, forming a barrier against attacks. Its true value, however lies inside its abilities to control the minds of the weak-willed. When this function is activated, it projects itself as a green beam that emerges from the tip of the cane. If this ability is activated on characters not suitable for control, it will instead confuse them for several seconds. In the Nintendo DS version of the game, Nigma is armed with a gun, and is capable of double-jumping. Appearance Nigma's costume is one that he has worn since his first appearance - a skintight green bodysuit with a question mark over the chest and a purple domino mask over the eyes. In the DS version of the game, he has an alternate costume - the bowler-hat-and-suit outfit popularized by Frank Gorshin. Category:Villains Category:Characters Category:Bosses